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Ewa Lowe: Chapter 19

Stonehenge – England

Everybody agrees that prehistoric Stonehenge is a tourism attraction and Britain’s greatest national icon. What the historians can’t agree on is what it was used for.

This monument of huge stones solitarily standing on the Salisbury Plains in Wiltshire was built more than 5,000 years ago. The stones were somehow dragged from Wales, 4,000 kilometers away.

Some of the stones weigh up to 4,500 kilograms, and are nearly seven meters tall. It took approximately 600 men to move one stone.

How they managed to do it is still a mystery, or maybe we should just believe a few people who say it was built by extraterrestrial visitors and used as a landing site for their ships!

Every so often fantastic crop circles appear close to Stonehenge and this strengthens their alien theory. Of course, most of these crop circles have been proved to be hoaxes, man-made, but some are still unexplained.

Unfortunately, previous generations have removed many of the stones for home construction or road repairs. Stonehenge is a ruin. The name Stonehenge comes from an old English word, Stauhengist, which means hanging stones.

Archeologists believe the site’s construction was carried out in three stages and designate them Stonehenge I, II and III.

Stonehenge I was when the native Neolithic people started digging a circular ditch, more than 5,000 years ago. This ditch contained 56 shallow holes that are called the Aubrey holes. Then two parallel stones were raised, named the Slaughter Stones, but only one is still standing. The site was used for about 500 years and then abandoned.

Stonehenge II construction started around 2100 B.C. A semicircle of 80 granite stones was made. These stones are called bluestones, because of their blue color. We know they had to be dragged all the way from the Presell Mountains in South Wales, 402 kilometers away. They each weigh up to 4,000 kilograms.

The entranceway to the semicircle of the bluestones is aligned with the midsummer sunrise. Two Heel Stones (one remains) were placed a short distance from the circle, every year on June 21, the Sun rises from behind the remaining Heel Stone, making it a spectacular sight to watch.

Many myths have been told of how the Heel Stone got its name. The Devil challenged everybody that no one could count the stones and arrive at the right answer, and sure enough, every time someone counted the stones they would come up with a different number.

Finally, a monk called his bluff, he said. “There are more stones than can be told.”

The devil got so mad he threw a stone at the monk, but it bounced harmlessly off his heel. This is how the Heel Stone got its name.

Another legend is that the Devil threw a stone at Merlin when he stole the stones, striking his heel.

Stonehenge phase III, is what we can see of the stone circle today. Built in 2000 B.C., these nearly seven-meter-tall trilithons are spectacular. The trilithons are a set of two upright stones topped with a lintel. Lintels are horizontal stones, curved to create a complete circle on the top.

From the original 30 upright stones, 17 are still standing. These stones come from Marlborough Downs, 32 kilometers to the North. Why would they drag these gigantic stones all the way to Stonehenge? Why not build closer to the quarry? What is so special about the Stonehenge site? All these questions are part of the Stonehenge mystery.

Some think it could have been built by a sun-worshiping culture, or it could be a religious temple for animal and human sacrifice.

Sacrifice? Sounds like a good spot to get rid of Genie.

Human remains excavated from burial mounds nearby reveal people who had many injuries and illnesses. Maybe they thought the stones had healing power. You sit under the stones while water is poured over them and your wounds or illness will be healed.

Another legend is that ancient giants dancing got petrified and turned into these stones when they were caught in the sunlight.

Today most historians agree it’s probably a huge astronomical Observatory that measures the movements of the Moon, Sun and stars.

In 1897, in France, an ancient bronze calendar tablet was discovered. It was called the Sequani Calendar. This calendar makes it easier for us to understand the stone circles at Stonehenge. The outer circle is used to count the days in the year.

The next two circles are designated the lunar months. The inner circle, the Sarsen Stones, symbolizes the 29.5 nights of the months. The impressive Trilithon Horseshoe represents the phases of the Moon, and the Year Dial of stones within them is used to count the 19-year circle of 235 months.

I bet if Adam Skai had been here with me, he could have told me even more about Stonehenge. He would have liked this place.

In the evenings we could lie on the grass and look up at the sky. Then when he started kissing me I could have seen even more stars.

I can hear his voice inside my head: “Don’t forget –we both carry alien DNA and Friday the 13th is your lucky day.”

The chef who is going to tell us the secrets of pit cooking looks like a chef should. He has the tall white chef’s hat on, rosy cheeks and is kind of roly-poly.

I don’t know why, I just don’t trust a skinny cook. Because it makes me wonder, does he ever taste his own cooking? Doesn’t he like to eat? Is he sick? And so on… no, better roly-poly.

We had to walk 15 minutes from our tepee to get to the site where the pit cooking is going to take place. It looks as if they have turned the soil upside-down because there is no grass, only gravel and stones.

I guess they didn’t want to have anything nearby that could catch fire.

A small earth-digging machine has made two holes in the ground approximately 1.5 by 2 meters and one meter deep.

They look like graves. All they need now is a corpse.

We all sit down on the mud banks and look down into the pit.

The chef starts talking “First we will line the pit with large stones about the size of a soccer ball, they will even out the heat and hold it in. Be careful never to use rocks that have been in salt water, like the ocean, because they can crack or even explode! We will then fill the pit with a heap of coal and some logs. It will take about 24 hours before it is ready for cooking and it will take another 12 hours before the meat is ready to eat.”

While he is talking, we can see some workers with wheelbarrows filled with stones coming towards us. Some people get up to make room for them to tip the stones into the holes.

The chef continues, “We are going to have one hog and a lamb. It’s important to tie the meat firmly. We will use chicken wire, but first we are going to cover them with banana leaves. This will give the meat some moisture and protection against the fire.

“It’s also important to let heat through the hog’s mouth. This is why the apple is traditionally put in the hog’s mouth. Then we will wrap the pig and the lamb into layers of aluminum foil to keep them nice and cozy for the 12 hours they have to stay there.

“I think we will even stuff a whole chicken inside the lamb and see how it turns out. We will also put onions and some spices inside the hog, then some veggies and sweet potatoes wrapped in foil.”

Oh, this is going to be delicious! It reminds me of the Hawaiian luau I was at in Maui two years ago.

“OK,” the chef is waving his arms, “why don’t we all chip in and help these guys with the stones, coal and lumber?”

We all scramble to our feet and start working.

Two hours later the pits are ready to be lit. They look like two large bonfires. We step back and gaze into the flames.

After a while the chef says, “Somebody must stay behind and watch the fire. I will be back in 24 hours to put the hog and the lamb into the pit. You are all welcome to come and watch. The important thing to remember then is to cover it all up so no air gets into the pit. The coals will remain hot for days. I wish you all Bon appétit!”

“Bon appétit!” We all yell back, with that, we all merrily and hungrily head back to our camp.

I, the foxy lady, now have a plan for how to get rid of Genie the brown-eyed good-for-nothing bastard.

I’ve told people small lies about him. Small complaints. Like he drinks too much, is clinging and obnoxious, but I also tell them, since it is only for a few days I will not fire him.

Genie is staying out of Lovise’s way, as he promised.

Lovise is spending most of her time with Irene and Lilliana; this gives me the opportunity I need to work on my evil plan.

I have Genie give me a massage twice a day now. He is becoming very familiar with my lean body, I can feel and hear how much he would like to get to know it even better.

We always have a few drinks afterwards. He has started to love my Cuba Libre. I pretend to like him a lot, cuddling and giving him small kisses.

When I return to my tent, Genie is ready for my rubdown.

“Listen,” I say, “I’ve been thinking. I don’t want you to tell anybody we are seeing each other. You know, I have some money and if it works out between us, I can send you a ticket and you can come and visit me in America.”

I move in very close to him and put my hands around his neck. “In the meantime why don’t we get together Friday night after the dinner, we could meet at the pit-cooking site, around 11 in the evening.

“Everybody will have left by then. You could just help dismantle the tents and then hang around until 11. I can drive you back to Southampton. I’ll bring some blankets and Bacardi, you can bring some Coke and your hot body.

“The coals will still be warm, so we can pretend we are on a camping trip.”

Genie dips his head into my hair; he is nearly drooling. “Oh, my God! I don’t think I can wait that long!”

I push him away, smiling cockily, “Oh, well, Genie, you just have to suffer until then. Now give me one of your magical massages.” My dress hits the floor. I’m not wearing anything underneath. I place myself on the bed.

The white chiffon lace hanging down from the canopy bed falls down around me.

From Genie’s view I must look like something straight out of Arabian Nights.

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The chapter “Stonehenge – England” is from the sci-fi, triller book “Fear is in the Air” by Eva Newermann. Available on Amazon Kindle and Apple Books